we should petition weber...

[GregS]

we should ask for 50-100 units that they already make, just for us.  a WKC special order. 

sure, maybe we'd probably have to pay a few bucks over the public store price.  but i'd imagine to many of us it'd be worth it in order to have a MT in colors they sell overseas.

right? 

can i get a hell yeah? 

maybe we'd all have to accept a single color maybe not.  but is there someone that can open up a dialogue with them?

i'm just thinking, they already make them, so we're not looking for any re-tooling of the mfg line.  just a special order of a decent quantity for those who love and respect their company, it's heritage and it's product. 

thoughts? 

it's been tried and shot down?

[wrehfield]

 I'm in.

[einrej]

Let's do it.

[addicted-to-smoke]

Dunno if it's been tried but it's been discussed previously. At one point I had my white M/T with all the "included" trimmings optioned-up to have a retail value pushing $1K. Pure fantasy stuff.

There are a few Weber reps here that might shed some light, but just as likely could not. Web forums aren't acceptable forums for dispersing PR, let alone idle chatter.

On a more practical note, any manufacturer likely has all sorts of regulatory and distribution labyrinths to navigate that preclude small runs of temporary product offerings because the current workflow assumes certain processes that impact profitability and revenue.

That said, I don't see why they couldn't implement something different if they wanted to.

[namtrag]

I am aghast at why they don't make the cool colors for their home country market.  Have they ever explained why?

[GregS]

1 - Dunno if it's been tried but it's been discussed previously. At one point I had my white M/T with all the "included" trimmings optioned-up to have a retail value pushing $1K. Pure fantasy stuff.

2 - There are a few Weber reps here that might shed some light, but just as likely could not. Web forums aren't acceptable forums for dispersing PR, let alone idle chatter.

3 - On a more practical note, any manufacturer likely has all sorts of regulatory and distribution labyrinths to navigate that preclude small runs of temporary product offerings because the current workflow assumes certain processes that impact profitability and revenue.

4 - That said, I don't see why they couldn't implement something different if they wanted to.

1 - importing from the UK is way less that $1k.  and i thought the previous discussion was a special run of something that they didn't already produce, no?

2 - Let's hope they chime in.  also times are changing, web forums & social media, etc are ways to motivate and show support for a cause.  the release of information or better known "leaks" of information commonly happen on social media ahead of the full marketing blitz that occurs after.  both to test public opinion and reaction as well as to prime the pump for sales later. 

3 - it's not a small special run.  it's something they already make, market and sell in other countries.  we'd just be asking for a given lot to be offered to us, their biggest supporters on their home continent.  we'd work out shipping to the aussies as to not exclude our non-north american brothers. 

4 - it's just their right to say yes or no and why for.  or say nothing at all and let us cry as we currently do. 

(not an attack, just discussion here ATS.)

[addicted-to-smoke]

... Have they ever explained why?

What company would do that? We're left to speculate.

* In Europe, outdoor grilling is less a casual, sorta "everyman" way of cooking and more of a luxury endeavor not as many can afford to do or have the space for. And more women get into it, and they traditionally give a shit about colors of cars and so on. So Weber probably sells fewer grills but at higher profit, which allows for more diverse selection. Ever see bags of Weber-branded charcoal in the U.S. Nope.

* Another factor is that in the U.S., gas grilling is king, so there's less chance that more charcoal inventory would be carried. Just look at Weber's best retailer for "deep" product line, Ace Hardware. Some have most all of the grills, many barely sell any because they've decided ceramic kamado eggs or whatever are the way to go. Saw one Ace in the St. Louis area selling a no-longer-available dark green kettle for more than retail, just because they could. That's not how you build marketshare.

[jcnaz]

Do we know for certain that the "euro colored" bowls and lids are actually manufactured in the USA?

[addicted-to-smoke]

1 - Dunno if it's been tried but it's been discussed previously. At one point I had my white M/T with all the "included" trimmings optioned-up to have a retail value pushing $1K. Pure fantasy stuff.

2 - There are a few Weber reps here that might shed some light, but just as likely could not. Web forums aren't acceptable forums for dispersing PR, let alone idle chatter.

3 - On a more practical note, any manufacturer likely has all sorts of regulatory and distribution labyrinths to navigate that preclude small runs of temporary product offerings because the current workflow assumes certain processes that impact profitability and revenue.

4 - That said, I don't see why they couldn't implement something different if they wanted to.

1 - importing from the UK is way less that $1k.  and i thought the previous discussion was a special run of something that they didn't already produce, no?

2 - Let's hope they chime in.  also times are changing, web forums & social media, etc are ways to motivate and show support for a cause.  the release of information or better known "leaks" of information commonly happen on social media ahead of the full marketing blitz that occurs after.  both to test public opinion and reaction as well as to prime the pump for sales later. 

3 - it's not a small special run.  it's something they already make, market and sell in other countries.  we'd just be asking for a given lot to be offered to us, their biggest supporters on their home continent.  we'd work out shipping to the aussies as to not exclude our non-north american brothers. 

4 - it's just their right to say yes or no and why for.  or say nothing at all and let us cry as we currently do. 

(not an attack, just discussion here ATS.)

Oh hey, "my" fantasy M/T was optioned up to the hilt with Weber accessories; it wasn't a stock model. I see that the U.S. M/T is $200 and that sounds about right. I was kind of hoping they'd ditch the existing Gold model entirely and make M/T the "$150 grill," just to drive the point home harder. Kind of like how smartphones and computers don't get cheaper every year, just better for the same money.

My #3 above was meant to help explain the "special run". Yes I realize the grills are already being made here, "just miles away" for some people, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are free to open the floodgates and move them out to Wal-Mart and Home Depot or even Amazon. Retailers big and small hold a certain amount of sway over what gets made, because they have their own preconceived notions of what will sell.

If people buy enough new M/T I'd expect to see the usual, occasional alternative colors like they've been doing. Not to be a downer but consider what's likely to happen. Bold blues, greens, reds, copper ... sound familiar? The European colors are incredible muted shades of off-white, bluish gray, light charcoal etc. If that kind of subtlety showed up at Lowes some doufus would probably hang them out to dry "for trying to be sophisticated like Apple" and therefore "non serious" about the product and selling style over substance. We Americans can be pretty uptight and insecure at times.

re: #2
I'm with you, I'd prefer open dialog and less silence to the extent possible/practical.

(not an attack, just discussion here ATS.)

No worries, the thought never occurred to me. This is good.

[SixZeroFour]

I don't think it's as simple as ordering up a few from the warehouse. If the euro colors are even made in the US, they would do a huge batch production run and ship them all over in one shot. Unless the timing was perfect they wont stop/interrupt their existing production schedule just for a 100 grills no matter how die hard we fans are. In that same time it takes for them to stop production, change setup, make 100 grills and then switch it all back they could have produced 1000 black grills that will sell for the same price no problem.

Real cool video of the Weber Charcoal Production Plant below for those who haven't already checked it out...
http://www.weber.com/about/factory-tours/charcoal

We know that Weber keeps an eye on the forums so we can only assume they are listening - hopefully it's just a matter of time 

[Hofy]

Would custom ordering be too hard?  It is done in the automotive industry all the time.

You walk into you local Ace.  Tell the sales person I would like to order a WHITE M/T.  They reply that is custom order at a premium price of $249 and 4-6 week wait for delivery.  You pay the $249, the order is placed.  4-6 weeks later you get a call from the local Ace, Your grill is in and available for pick up.  That night you are making some great steaks on your WHITE M/T.

BTW one of the most lame excuses I hear in sales is that such and such doesnt sell.  Well no sh!t, if you dont offer it it will not sell!

[Red Kettle Rich]

GREAT THREAD

1) Are the cool colors made in the US?

2) Put me down for a Copper MT since a Real Red seems to be too much to hope for

[crumbsnatcher]

Like I said before, I wish Weber and other companies would offer a service like Nike ID where a customer can customize their own shoes with whatever colors they wanted at a higher premium price. In our case, kettle colors.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MrHoss]

Weber has got to realize that it's folks like us that can really drive their machine.  I would think that on average 1 of us does the equivalent PR for the company as 15-20 "normal" Weber owners.  The number of folks I have been responsible for encouraging/making buy Weber products is in the 12-15 range.  All of them are more than happy and none of them to my knowledge has more than 1 product....none have yet to turn into me.  We can always hope though.

Please please please......I want a Blue Wave MT.  No dull muted colours here.  That Blue Wave reminds me of the old Glen Imperial Blue, (Is it the same?).  The chances of me finding a beauty Glen Imperial Blue are slimmer than a nice Yellow and that is long indeed.  Landing a Blue Wave is much more likely in my case so that is what I guardedly hope for.  Weber Gods hear my prayer.  Amen.

[addicted-to-smoke]

... BTW one of the most lame excuses I hear in sales is that such and such doesnt sell.  Well no sh!t, if you dont offer it it will not sell!

This.

The production model would need to make an allowance for the custom exception to the extent it doesn't cost them extra, and of course charging a premium goes a long way towards fixing that.